SMILE, HON at Baltimore Book Fest, tattoos, zombies and more!

BALTIMORE – Eight-Stone Press and CityLit Project put the "Baltimore" in the Baltimore Book Festival with an evening of literary mayhem, music and more beginning at 6:00 p.m., Friday, September 24, 2010, at the CityLit tent, on the circle in Mount Vernon.

Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! contributing authors Earl Crown, E. Doyle-Gillespie, Sharon Goldner, Fernando Quijano III, William P. Tandy and Lisa Wiseman will offer live interpretations of their work, highlighting the good, bad and ugly of Baltimore life. And don't miss the aural spectacle of "interstellar misfits" The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad, whose musical canon includes such classics as "Do You Got a Disease?" and "Show Us Your Boobs (Buy Me a Beer)". While you're there, crack open a complimentary cold one, courtesy of Clipper City Brewing Company, or browse a wide selection of Smile, Hon back issues, t-shirts and more.

For more information, e-mail wpt@eightstonepress.com.

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Going to the Baltimore Tattoo Arts Convention this weekend (9/10-12)? Stop by Atomic Books and pick up a copy of Skin Deep, a special ink-oriented edition of Smile, Hon featuring tattoo-related stories, essays, poetry, color photos, tattooist interviews and more! "[Skin Deep is] a great read." – C.W. Eldridge, Tattoo Archive

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In related news, regular Smile, Hon contributor Davida Gypsy Breier announces the release of locally-produced horror zine Rigor Mortis #3, featuring original art, genre analysis, reviews of movies, books, graphic novels and more! This issue's highlights include a remembrance of author Z.A. Recht, the "Sexiest Monsters of Filmland", the Feast trilogy, Tony Todd, Nazi zombies and gargantuan movie monsters! Pick up your copy locally at Atomic Books; visit www.leekinginc.com/rigormortis/index.htm for more information.


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SUN Profiles Local Hard-Rock Children's Band, Debut Album

Here is a nice article from yesterday's Baltimore Sun profiling local hard-rock kids band The Hilltop Hightops, an ostensibly "clean" version of the band's alter-egos, The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad. Both bands' lead guitarist, Ryan Graham, contributed a very funny piece on "selling out" to the most recent edition of Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!, and both bands turned in excellent performances at the Smile, Hon No. 11 release party last month.

Visit the Hightops online, and while you're at it, check out their debut album, Super Galactic Space Banana:

DMFS - "Do You Gotta Disease?"

Mobtown's own Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad ask the burning question, unplugged, at the Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! No. 11 release party on June 17, 2009, at Cyclops Books in Baltimore...

SMILE, HON No. 11 Release Party a Success

Thanks to the more than 40 people who turned out for the Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! No. 11 release party last night at Cyclops Books (most of that number stayed for the roughly 90-minute duration of contributor readings and music). Also, special thanks to The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad and The Hilltop Hightops for providing musical relief, as well as Cyclops owner Andy Rubin for hosting the evening.

Looking down at my arms, riddled with track marks from the lab tech’s multiple attempts earlier in the day to plant an IV in my chemo-scarred veins, I felt suitably adorned for an evening on North Avenue. True, the weather could have been better, but it most certainly could have been worse. Recalling a similar turnout for the Smile, Hon No. 10 release party, held last fall at Rubin’s previous store, Baltimore Chop Books, I believed that so many people showing up on a shitty Monday night in November could only mean they would once again turn out in force on a crappy Wednesday night in June. And with this, the crowd did not disappoint. Solid readings all around, and well-received by the audience. Looking forward to future events…

SMILE, HON No. 11 Release Party

That's right, folks - come on out to Cyclops Books, at the corner of Maryland and North Avenues, tomorrow night, Wednesday, June 17, beginning at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the release of the latest issue in the award-winning Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! series, published by Eight-Stone Press. This free event will include readings by contributors to the issue as well as live performances by The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad and The Hilltop Hightops.